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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27025258">The Surprise at the Saloon</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cajunquandary/pseuds/cajunquandary'>cajunquandary</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supernatural, Supernatural RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Crack, Ficlet, Fluff, Other, SO MUCH FLUFF, short fic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 16:47:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,487</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27025258</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/cajunquandary/pseuds/cajunquandary</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The reader is relaxing at her favorite local saloon when the owner and his best friend show up and turn the reader’s life around.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>None</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Surprise at the Saloon</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Originally posted to Tumblr in 2017: Okay, this is awful but I’ve had a bad day–week–month–year–decade? and I needed a fluffy pick me up from my favorite non fictional people. Kinda hoping my first encounter with them ends up this way (or better because I wasn’t very creative.) This is all based off of real places and people.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I studied the glass of whiskey in my hands, watching the silvery little currents as they settled between ice cubes. After my third, I chose to savor the fourth. It was such a pretty color, the light browns and honey golds, and went down easily. My belly was warm, heat slowly seeping into my limbs. Engrossed in my observations, I failed to notice when the owner and his best friend came in. It wasn’t a very busy night, in fact there were only two other people besides myself sitting at the polished hardwood bar top, and a little country band just setting up in the front to play for their scarce audience.</p>
<p>“Hey, my man!” The bartender stopped flipping glasses for entertainment and traded them for a big hug and pat on the back to the two men who just entered. I glanced over swiftly and smiled, refocusing on my drink, as the bartender’s jovial disposition was always infectious. He was one of the reasons that this bar was my favorite.</p>
<p>“Hey, brother! How’s business going? It’s a little slow tonight?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, Jared. But we’re hoping to pull some people in after the music starts.” I let the glass slip from my hands, clattering lightly on the varnish. There was no way. It couldn’t be. I carefully turned my head to steal a better glimpse at the newcomers, afraid that if I moved too quickly, they would disappear.</p>
<p>Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki. You’ve got to be kidding me.</p>
<p>I could no longer hear the words being exchanged between the three, my head spinning and tunnel vision setting in. Was it the whiskey? The fantastic men standing just a few feet away?</p>
<p>“They’re just people, they’re just people, they’re just people…” I was chanting in my head. I must have stared too long, because all three were looking in my direction now. Even normal people were difficult to talk to—I was shy and quiet and awkward, and it was okay, normally I could push it down and overcome. But now? What in sam-hell could’ve prepared me for this?</p>
<p>The bartender was whispering something to the men and chuckled lightly. My face burned red as I regained my composure, looking back down at my hands. A moment later, the bartender set two drinks on either side of me and two hands gripped my shoulders.</p>
<p>“Hi, how are you doin tonight?” Jensen asked. I must’ve been shaking, because Jared reached over and held my hands until they steadied.</p>
<p>I only looked up and smiled, unable to form a coherent thought, much less a verbal sentence, so I just knocked back the last of my fourth and pushed the glass forward signaling for another. Both men chuckled as they sat in their seats, one on each side of me.</p>
<p>Jared smirked. “I take it you know who we are by the necklace you’re wearing.” Oh. I forgot I’d been wearing the samulet. Then again, I almost never took it off.</p>
<p>“Y-yeah, y’all are my heroes, or rather, the closest thing I've ever had to 'em…” My heart calmed with every breath, and I began to relax a little, thanks to the liquid encouragement.</p>
<p>“Us? We’re not really heroes.” Jensen leaned forward, sipping on his drink, wonder clouding his eyes.</p>
<p>“To me you are. I never looked up to anyone until I was twenty one, and you two were it.” I cast my eyes down bashfully. I pushed my hair over my shoulder, elbows propped back up on the bar, feeling better now that the music had started up, and not so nerve rackingly anxious.</p>
<p>“I don’t know why you chose us. What’s your name?” Jared flicked straw paper at me.</p>
<p>“Hey!” I flicked it back to him. “Y/N. It’s nice to meet y’all.” Jensen reached out to shake my hand, firm and warm.</p>
<p>“Good to meet you, and nice grip you’ve got,” Jensen’s brows shot up in surprise. Yeah, I got that a lot.</p>
<p>“Grew up a military kid.”</p>
<p>“You know, you’re almost as quiet as Jensen was when I met him. That’s not a bad thing, but maybe I can help with that!”</p>
<p>I let out a breathy chuckle and shook my head. “Good luck.”</p>
<p>“So how long have you been coming to this bar?” Jared slung his arm over my shoulder and turned to the bartender.</p>
<p>“Oh, she’s here about once a week, usually on a slow night like this one.” The bartender winked and began his show of bottle and glass juggling for a new customer.</p>
<p>“Oh really?” Jared drew out.</p>
<p>“Yeah, what can I say, I’ve got good taste. The owner’s not so bad either, I hear.” Oops. Was I pushing the line? I had only good intentions, but the whiskey really had a way of loosening my lips before I had a chance to filter my thoughts. A terrible combination, really.</p>
<p>Jensen laughed into his glass. “Hey, I helped!”</p>
<p>Jared joined his teasing, “Sure! You put the silly saddle right by the front door.”</p>
<p>“Hey—that’s my favorite thing here!” I interjected.</p>
<p>It wasn’t long before we were talking like old friends, and rolling at awful jokes. What felt like hours later, our stomachs all aching from the belly laughing and booze, Jensen shifted the conversation.</p>
<p>“So why haven’t we seen you at any cons? I would’ve remembered a face like yours.” He really was a kinda flirty drunk. I took the innocent compliment and we leaned together, his head resting against mine.</p>
<p>“I never had the money.”</p>
<p>“Where do you work?”</p>
<p>“I’ve worked everywhere. It doesn’t matter how much I try to save up, how many hours of overtime, something always comes up. The truck breaks down, health insurance spikes, it’s always something.”</p>
<p>The first moment of awkward silence of the night passed, and I itched for it to be over, so I attempted to shift the subject. “So do y’all like to go fishing, or hunting? Other than the supernatural of course,” I bit my lip, the lights pleasantly reflecting in Jared’s eyes.</p>
<p>“Hell yeah, do you? Where’s your favorite place?”</p>
<p>“Lake Amistad, for sure, it’s the most beautiful lake I’ve ever seen—just this big blue surprise in the middle of a desert. As far as hunting, I prefer wild hog. I can’t just sit in a stand all day. I like to track the herd, learn their patterns and get up close. That’s where all the thrill is.”</p>
<p>We spoke for another hour, all trading our favorite stories. The best was when they would try to tell the same one, each of the men conflicting the other’s account, and almost resulted in a wrestling match or two.</p>
<p>Jensen leaned towards me again when the conversation had settled, chin resting on my head. I smiled and leaned back into him. Warmth fluttered up in my chest, and I felt so at home wrapped up in those men. And GOD they smelled amazing. Jensen breathed into my hair then, and hummed lightly, smiling into my scalp. Jared’s elbow rested against mine, almost chasing my arm if I shifted my own. Jensen caught me by surprise then, gently kissing my forehead and whispering to me, “You’re pretty cool. We’ve got to hang out again.”</p>
<p>Jared spoke up, too. “Yeah, we’ve met a lot of people, of fans, and they’ve all been incredible, but I’ve never met anyone quite like you.”</p>
<p>“I second that, brother. What’s it about you that’s different?”</p>
<p>I shifted in my stool, suddenly feeling on the spot.</p>
<p>Jared must have noticed. “You don’t have to tell us, you know. If it makes you uncomfortable—“</p>
<p>“Nah, it’s all good,” I stopped him. I answered their questions, and gave them a run-down of my life’s story, and they shared a few of their own experiences with me.</p>
<p>“So you’re like, the real Dean Winchester, almost.” Jensen almost looked jealous.</p>
<p>“Almost. No one can be quite as Dean as Dean,” I laughed.</p>
<p>Jared puffed his chest out. “That’s right, no one is as Dean as me!”</p>
<p>“Okay, Gilmore Girls,” Jensen teased.</p>
<p>As joy settled in my heart, the worries of the day long gone now, I smiled and hugged both of them and stood. “You guys are freakin awesome.”</p>
<p>“You, too. Clif says we’ve got to get going, but take our cards and call us, for anything. Seriously.” Jared scooped me in tighter, “And Always Keep Fighting.”</p>
<p>“I will. I’ll keep fighting. I’ll keep fighting til I’ve got nothing left.” I winked at Jensen.</p>
<p>He scoffed, automatically in character, “Don’t quote me to me!”</p>
<p>“Alright, I’ll see y’all soon?”</p>
<p>“Definitely. And hey—next time, we’re dancing!” Jensen threw a toothy grin over his shoulder as they left, eyes crinkling preciously in the corners.</p>
<p>Whatever had led you here tonight was more than worth it after gaining two such incredible friends. You didn’t dance, but there’s always time to try something new, right?</p>
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